Pittsburgh Penguins vs Buffalo Sabres Prediction, 1/17/2025 NHL Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Pittsburgh Penguins vs Buffalo Sabres

Date: Friday, January 17, 2025

Location: KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY

TV: MSG Network

Odds/Point Spread: Penguins (-275) Sabres (+220)

The Buffalo Sabres (17-22-5) will try to defeat the Pittsburgh Penguins (18-20-8) at KeyBank Center on Friday. The moneyline on this contest has Pittsburgh at -275 and Buffalo opens at +220. The total has been set at 6.5.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be looking to get a win in their next outing after their 4-2 loss to the Kraken their last time on the ice. Pittsburgh compiled 4 minutes in the box for this contest. Moreover, they had 1 chance on the power play but didn't convert it into a score. The Penguins had a below average offensive outing in the defeat. In the game, they netted 2 of the 33 shots they tried.

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While playing at even strength, the Penguins have allowed the opponent to score 143 goals while scoring 102 themselves. Pittsburgh Penguins opponents have tallied 125 power play opportunities (17th in the league) and have racked up 26 goals in those attempts. In the matter of their goal scoring prowess, the Pittsburgh Penguins have earned 136 goals (13th in the NHL) for the year and have surrendered 169. Pittsburgh has tried 1,317 shots and holds a shot percentage of 10.3%. For the year, they have recorded 44 points and their points percentage sits at .478. The Penguins have had 1,420 shots attempted against them and hold a save percentage of .881. Pittsburgh is sitting with 133 power play opportunities and they have tallied 34 goals out of those chances, giving them a rate of 25.56%.

The player guarding the cage in this matchup is Alex Nedeljkovic. Over the course of his pro career, Nedeljkovic has recorded 73 quality starts and his quality starts percentage is .510. His save percentage sits at .903 for his 7,868 minutes guarding the cage. Nedeljkovic has had 4,640 shot attempts against him and he has 4,191 total saves. Opponents have tallied 449 goals against Nedeljkovic in his NHL career and his goals against average per contest is 3.42. He has compiled a record of 67-52-26 and he has gotten the start in 143 games. Nedeljkovic has been involved in 160 matchups throughout his hockey career.

In their last game, Buffalo faced the Hurricanes in an outing where the Sabres got the win by a final of 4-2. They had 1 power play attempt in this outing but weren't able to score a goal. The Sabres recorded 4 goals of the 24 shots on goal they were seeking.

So far this year, the Buffalo Sabres have a total of 134 goals, 39 points, and a points percentage of .443. They have allowed 147 goals to be scored by way of 118 goals at even strength and 29 goals while they had less men on the ice. The Sabres have accumulated 112 goals at even strength and 22 goals (26th in hockey) while having more men on the ice. They have earned 125 power play chances and they have accumulated a power play percentage of 17.60%. Buffalo has attempted 1,186 shots (26th in hockey) and has accumulated a shooting percentage of 11.30%, while allowing the other team 1,294 shots. They have a penalty kill rate of 78.83% on their opponents 137 power play opportunities, and their save percentage is currently 88.6%.

Across the rink you are likely to see Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the crease. Teams are averaging 3.90 goals per game and he has surrendered 376 goals altogether. Luukkonen's quality start rate is 54.7% and he has accumulated 70 quality starts in his career. He has been a starter 128 contests and has been on the ice for 5,788 mins. Luukkonen is the owner of a lifetime mark of 61-54-14 and has participated in 132 games. He has a tally of 3,476 stops out of 3,852 shots attempted, giving him a save percentage of .902.

Who will win tonight's NHL game against the spread or moneyline?

Tony's Pick: Take Pittsburgh (-275)

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